


Family Photographs

by Aquatics



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Family, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-06 18:07:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20511242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquatics/pseuds/Aquatics
Summary: Four pictures that will not survive the fire.





	Family Photographs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lissaline](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lissaline/gifts).

01

The first picture stands on Father’s desk, set in a dark oak frame. It depicts two children, one on a chair, wearing a sailor uniform, the other, smaller, one resting in her lap. He looks at the camera with large, wondering eyes, while her hands rest easy on his shoulders. Neither of them remember it well; though Mother insists that Violet was annoyed at having her hair set in braids. Violet does recall adoring the uniform, taking every opportunity to wear it. Mother drew the line at having Klaus call her ‘Supreme Commander’, because that was too big a mouthful for a two-year-old. They had some short argument over that: Violet did not really see the point of having a little brother, unless he could make himself into a useful henchman.

(The sailor uniform was given to Sunny, at some point. It used to hang among the rest of Violet’s old dresses, mended and ready to be handed down.)

02

The second picture displays a day at the coast. Klaus is holding a large bass in his hands, looking confused. Violet stands behind him, proudly holding the fishing rod. She looks just a little awkward, possibly due to her running as fast as she could to reach him before the timer went off. They’re both wearing yellow rain clothes, shielding them from the terribly windy onslaught that was a day at the Craggy Coast. (Sunny is not yet thought of; she exists as a twinkle in her father’s eye)

It had been a cold day, almost too cold. Father nearly refused to let them outdoors, while Mother insisted that just a few hours of fishing wouldn’t hurt anyone. It was the first family holiday that both of them could remember, and the weather forecast had lied every inch of the way. Violet ended up teaching herself how to make a barometer, and Klaus had dutifully helped her draw the faces using an old sailing manual as a reference point. As she matched the pieces together, Klaus holding the screws, Violet realized that perhaps having a younger brother wasn’t such a bad fate, after all.

03

The third picture hangs on the wall in Mother’s sewing room, looking out over the sea of disguises and half-made ball gowns. It’s black and white, taken by one of mother’s artist friends. Klaus is wearing a small tuxedo, expertly fitted. Violet is clad in a black party dress made in imitation of her favourite actress. Their expressions are very serious, making it seem as if they were tiny office workers at some conference. 

It was Klaus’s first grown-up party. Violet had been to one or two, but most of her time had been better spent exploring the science kit with her brother(Last year’s much-coveted birthday present). This party was special; her mother was turning who-knows-how-old. Some of Mother’s long-lost friends were bringing their children and it was time Klaus and Violet learnt how to be good hosts. Violet faced it with her hair bound up with satin bands, calmly recalling what the manners’ manual had taught her about how to get along with strangers.

  
Klaus had been shaking every step of the way, uncertain of how to react to unfamiliar children not from local stamp-collecting societies. They were not all sufficiently polite, which made the whole thing even more awkward: Klaus’ tongue twisted, he started huffing, and finally, his face turned white. In the end, Violet had taken his hand, dragged him behind the staircase, and sat him down. He had near-collapsed from relief.

“Just pretend they’re new members of the Stamp Collective society. And I will do the talking.” Violet smiled, and the rest of the evening was dutifully endured, Klaus standing behind his sister with a serious face. Mother’s friend had found them charming enough to photograph. Violet refused to smile, and the result was what the artist referred to as one of her best works.

04

The fourth picture lies in father’s wallet, right next to Sunny’s first (and eventually, only remaining) baby portrait. It’s small and creased, a copy of a larger, recent work hanging in the classroom. (The one that will not survive the fire.) They’re both outdoors, at the large arched entrance of Beckinsale Prep. Violet’s hair is let down, hanging off of her shoulders like a well-styled office-worker. Klaus’ hair is combed back, glasses weighing lightly on his ears.

He was terribly worried about being taken away from Violet at the time - not that he minded her going off to an academy because he was quite envious of that - but it would be lonely to not have someone around to study with. For a moment, he found himself doubting that she would go: she had been so confident and focused on the way there. The Beckinsale map had her beaming, pointing out where the best workshops were located, helping Klaus find the library.

When she returned from the examination, her eyes were cast down. Her fists clenched around her pencil-case. Something inside of him melted and went soft: he had never dreamed of his older sister being remotely close to fallible.

He took her hand and squeezed it. She squeezed it back. Father took them out for ice cream.

05

The final picture depicts all three of them, sitting next to a campfire. Klaus is holding Sunny in his arms and Violet is toasting a marshmallow-kebab stick. It was meant to be their final camping trip that year before Violet entered school in the fall. Klaus was growing used to the idea: he was already preparing for his own exams for the year after. He had packed notebooks and textbooks instead of extra socks, which eventually bit him when the rain surprised them and caused puddles to erupt all over the trail. By the time they’d set up camp, his face was blue and freezing and his feet absolutely soaked. He ended up more-or-less confined to the campfire, his feet rested on the rocks, drinking in the heat while Violet helped him review his Spanish vocabulary. Sunny was a hot-water-bottle sleeping in his arms.

A copy of this picture rests in the casefile. It may be burnt, bent, and creased, but at the very end, it will find its way back to Violet’s hands, once the vault opens.


End file.
